


Golden Strings

by luciolelights



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Dragon Hanzo Shimada, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Platonic Relationships, Young Jesse McCree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 05:04:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16886145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luciolelights/pseuds/luciolelights
Summary: Jesse McCree finds a tiny blue lizard in the desert and takes it home. When the lizard grows to the size of a dog in a few weeks, he realizes he found something else entirely.





	Golden Strings

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is actually an assignment I did for a creative writing class. The story is completely made up by me but I used Jesse and Hanzo (as a dragon) as my characters, so this isn't really a traditional McCree/Hanzo fic but I thought I would post it for fun anyway!

A scorching heat swept over northern New Mexico, and as summer drew to an end, Jesse could hardly stand it any longer. The constant sweating and the sweltering temperatures made him want to stay indoors. Yet, that didn’t stop his Mamá from asking him to venture to the well and fetch some water for the horses and their little collection of livestock. Said well was at least a mile away, and Jesse was dreading to make the trip in this phenomenal heat.

It wasn’t necessary, but Jesse wanted to remain prepared. To expect the unexpected. The plastic six-shooter within a satchel on his hip was a comforting weight at his side, and he refused to leave the house without his hat and spurs. Normally, he was nothing but a simple farm boy, but his cowboy persona was just as much a part of him. Years of watching old westerns may have influenced him in that respect. Maybe someday, he could have grand adventures out there in the world, just as his heroes did on the silver screen.

As a young boy with only a decade of life under his belt, there was little that could strip him of his rampant imagination. He explored the empty desert carefully, plastic pistol poised high as he pretended to shoot at anything that caught his eye, making _bang bang_ sound effects all the way.

 _Bang._ A rabbit scuttled away from him.

 _Bang_. Jesse pictured a bandit hiding from behind the bushes.

 _Bang_. A prairie hawk swooped above him.

“ _Bang_!” he called, aiming the six-shooter at the next creature that caught his eye.

The gun’s orange tip pointed toward a tiny blue lizard, which lay still on a rock shaded by a nearby cactus. The lizard opened its eyes, staring blankly at the boy and his six-shooter. After a few moments of nothing, the creature weakly rested its head back on the rock.

Jesse paused, frowned, and put the plastic gun away into its holster. He crouched down on his ankles and peered down at the lizard. Upon closer inspection, Jesse quickly realized just how bizarre the lizard looked—it was nothing like he’d ever seen out here before. Its cool shades of royal blue were a stark contrast from the warm hues of the desert landscape. Little tufts of golden fur sat on the end of its tail.

Jesse didn’t want to bother it, but it seemed weak and was hardly moving. The lizards he’d always seen around the desert were speedy little buggers who would dash away before anyone could get close. Yet this lizard was just… laying there, completely motionless, almost lifeless. It was as if it had simply given up.

Making a decision, Jesse pulled off his stetson and set it on the ground before him. He glanced at the creature, and lifted a hand to it. It noticed, as its eyes snapped over and darted back and forth anxiously, but didn’t fuss when Jesse picked it up and carefully set it into his hat.

“I’ll help you out, okay?” he murmured to the creature as he lifted himself to stand.

Though the creature needed help, Jesse had a chore to finish. If he ran home without doing it, his Mamá would never let him see the end of it. The well wasn’t much further, so he decided to rush over. He kept a close eye on the lizard, who remained completely still inside his hat.

After several minutes, he reached the well, setting his hat down carefully on the ground before proceeding to extract the water from deep below. As was done in the old days, the bucket was dropped below by a pulley, where it dipped into the water before climbing back up. After grabbing the bucket from the pulley and setting it down, Jesse wondered if keeping the lizard hydrated would be the best option. Perhaps the lizard wasn’t from the desert—maybe that was why it was so weak and helpless. It was difficult not to worry that it would die before he could make it home.

Carefully, he lifted the still creature, and he held it just above the water’s surface. A few moments passed where it seemed like the lizard was contemplating the situation, before it greedily dipped down and began slurping at the water. Jesse had seen snakes drink water before, and the creature seemed to drink in the same manner. Strange, but he wouldn’t question it.

When the lizard seemed satisfied, Jesse plopped it back into his hat, carried it with one hand and the bucket’s handle with the other, and made his trek back home.

* * *

 

The more time that passed, the more the lizard ate. It started with insects and worms, but it soon began begging for as many morsels as Jesse could provide. One night in particular, Jesse was eating a sandwich of ham and cheese before he noticed the lizard watching him with eyes wide as saucers, pointed directly at his meal. Jesse pulled off a piece of the smoked ham and handed it over, watching the creature practically inhale the portion. Jesse was positive that that was the beginning of the lizard’s addiction to any kind of meat.

Over those weeks, the lizard had been growing larger and larger at such a rapid pace that Jesse could hardly keep up. When Jesse brought it to his house, he gave it a home within a plastic container he filled with rocks and leaves. Two weeks passed before it outgrew the box. Jesse tried another solution, finding the old bed from their dog Cash, who didn’t need it anymore once he received a replacement some time ago. The lizard loved that old bed, and Jesse enjoyed watching it curl in on itself as it prepared to sleep, its long body forming into something akin to a pretzel.

Mamá didn’t know about the lizard, but she was evidently suspicious of Jesse asking for copious amounts of meat every time she made a trip to the market. Jesse was terrified of telling her about his secret, knowing she would never approve and she would force him to abandon the lizard in the desert. However, as the creature grew larger and larger, he was losing the ability to keep it under control.

After a month, it was roughly the same size as a large dog, probably even bigger than Cash. Perhaps it wasn’t right to call it “the lizard” anymore. No, a lizard would never grow this large. Or have golden fur from its head to its tail, or horns, or two golden whiskers protruding from its snout.

“Maybe I should give you a name,” Jesse mused one night, as the creature snuggled up beside him in bed, “it ain’t right to just keep callin’ you a lizard, because you ain’t one. How about, hmm…” he thought about what the creature reminded him of, “Noodle?”

 _Noodle_ smacked him on the cheek with one paw and growled, but Jesse only laughed. “I ain’t changin’ it now, too bad.”

* * *

 

There were some nights, when Mamá would head to bed earlier than usual, that Jesse would risk bringing Noodle outside. It wasn’t right to keep such a large creature confined in his tiny bedroom. Jesse would try to pick up Noodle, who always wanted to wrap around him like a scaly scarf instead, and step carefully out through the back door.

Cash caught them the first night, barking wildly at Noodle, who only hissed in return. Jesse managed to calm Cash down when he threw a treat behind him and dashed out the door. Since then, he’d always made sure to set up the dog’s gate to keep him out of the kitchen beforehand.

Noodle was obedient, despite Jesse never commanding him to do anything. He never strayed far from Jesse while they went on a walk in the chilly desert night. The creature seemed to enjoy the opportunity to explore, and was curious about the outside world. Noodle would chase after any critters he found, but was always too slow to catch anything.

After their nighttime walks, Jesse was beyond exhausted and would immediately hop into bed. Every night, without fail, Noodle would join him. He would always curl up near Jesse’s legs, or sometimes even against his back. Cash’s old bed soon became abandoned once again.

* * *

 

There was no way to hide Noodle from Mamá once he escaped Jesse’s room and ate an entire rotisserie chicken.

Jesse had been in the barn gathering milk when he heard Mamá’s screams of horror from the house. He rushed over, leaving Bessy and half a bucket of milk behind. He arrived to see Mamá batting at Noodle with a broom while he just hissed and snarled at her. Noodle was curled in on himself, obviously terrified of what Mamá was doing.

Jesse rushed in between them. “Mamá, stop! Please!” he raised his arms to shield Noodle from her thwackings.

“Jessito! Did you bring this… this _thing_ into my home!?” she bellowed, holding the broom tightly to her chest.

“I’m sorry, Mamá,” Jesse pleaded, folding his hands together, “he was just a lil lizard, but he kept gettin’ bigger. I couldn’t stop him.”

“Him?!”

Jesse was startled at the accusatory tone. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d tried to bring in a pet they couldn’t take care of, so he knew this song and dance quite well. “H—His name is Noodle.”

Mamá simply sighed, rubbing her forehead and muttering something undecipherable in Spanish. “I’m sorry, mijo, but we can’t keep it as a pet. You need to let it go.”

“Mamá, _please_ , I can take care of him! He was dyin’ when I found him, I don’t wanna make him leave!”

“No,” she said sternly as shook her head, setting her broom back against the wall, “come on now, if you don’t let it go, then I will.”

Noodle crawled his way up Jesse’s body, curling all around him and hissing at Mamá as soon as she took a step closer. Jesse chided it, whispering, “No, Noodle, don’t attack Mamá.”

Mamá simply snatched her broom again and pointed it directly at Noodle. He snarled at her, so she poked it with the bottom end of her broom. Without warning, Noodle lurched at her, flinging itself from Jesse’s body to knock her back. She shrieked, stepping back until she hit the wall, flailing her broom wildly in an attempt to knock the creature back.

Jesse sprung over to Noodle, shouting for it to stop, and he managed to wrap his arms around it and pull back, away from Mamá. He kept tugging at Noodle’s body until they were both on the other side of the kitchen. As Mamá was catching her breath, Noodle slowly calmed down while Jesse held him, turning his head around to lick Jesse’s cheek with his forked tongue.

Mamá huffed and stepped closer, but still kept her distance, “I want that thing gone tonight, Jesse.”

* * *

 

Letting Noodle go was no easy feat. After spending over a month together in Jesse’s rather tiny room, they had formed a bond. All those nights of wandering the desert, of gazing up at the brilliant milky way that illuminated the sky, were for naught, in the end. Their time together was finally over, and Jesse was crushed.

Jesse brought Noodle outside, who held on tightly to Jesse as he was carried out. Jesse had to peel Noodle off before he could set him on the ground, and even then, Noodle tried persistently to climb back onto him.

“No, Noodle. You need to go,” Jesse tried shoving him, but he wouldn’t budge. He tried stepping back to the house, but the creature tried to follow. “I said go!” he was desperate now, and couldn’t prevent the tears from spilling from his eyes. This was harder for him than he imagined it would be, and Noodle was just as resistant.

When the creature wouldn’t leave on his own, Jesse had no choice but to head inside. He pretended to ignore Noodle’s cries as he stepped inside and swiftly shut the door. His resolve crumbled before he spun around to glance through the door’s window, seeing Noodle hunched over. Jesse could hear him whining loudly even from outside, but he finally turned around to rush away. Jesse watched as Noodle made a few lingering glances back at the house before he scurried off.

* * *

 

Mamá believed that was the end of it, and Jesse nearly believed it, too. Several months passed in which his life continued as normal, though he always thought back to the little blue lizard that became something else entirely. Even now, he wasn’t sure how to describe the creature that lived in his home. It was simply so different and otherworldly from anything else he had ever seen, almost like something he would’ve seen in one of those fantasy films.

Jesse heard a scratching at his window one night as he was laying in bed, unable to sleep due to the crackling of a nearby thunderstorm. Disgruntled, he checked his alarm clock, seeing that it was just past midnight. He then hobbled over to the window to investigate, and gasped as he saw a pair of brilliant golden eyes staring back at him through the glass. They were surrounded by royal blue scales, and the face staring down at him was large enough that it filled the entire view from his window.

Grabbing his jacket and slipping on his boots, Jesse rushed outside. It was a chilly night, and as the storm loomed closer, the wind began to pick up all around the area. The space just outside Jesse’s home had been filled up by the magnificent creature that stood before him.

It wasn’t until Jesse went outside and saw the entirety of the creature that he knew, for certain, that this beast was a fully-grown Noodle. His elongated body was longer than the house. Golden whiskers flew behind him as if they completely defied gravity. Noodle stood proudly on four legs, talons poking out from each foot. The creature was absolutely stunning to look at, his royal blues scales shining in the gleam of the full moon.

“Noodle?” Jesse asked as he stepped closer, reaching out a hand and gasping in wonder when the creature dipped his head forward to press its snout to his skin. Little electric sparks jutted out from the contact made between them, and Jesse briefly pulled his hand back. It wasn’t painful, so he let his fingers splay out over those gorgeous, blue scales.

A voice passed into his head.

_Thank you for saving me, Jesse._

“You can speak?” Jesse murmured incredulously.

_I was not strong enough before, but now I can. You rescued me from certain death, and for that I am grateful. I am one of the last dragons in this world, and I was able to return to my home in the clouds._

“A dragon!?” Jesse exclaimed, the surprise evident with how high his voice pitched. That would explain many things about the mysterious, little blue lizard. That, and his appetite for copious amounts of meat.

The dragon chuckled, sounding just like a wizened old man as its deep voice passed through Jesse’s head. _I have returned to grant you a wish as my thanks, Jesse. What is it that you would like?_

Jesse wasn’t able to answer that right away.

He was a simple boy with very little, but he and his Mamá were able to get by just fine. They were poor, but they had their home, and their animals, and each other.

Jesse licked his lips and swallowed anxiously before he finally answered, “I don’t need nothin’.”

_Are you certain?_

“‘Course I am,” he shook his head, smiling, “can’t you come back in a few years? I might need it later. And… and I wanna see you again, Noodle.”

 _My name is_ Hanzo.

The dragon did _not_ sound pleased, but there was an air of humour behind his harsh words. Jesse laughed and gave his snout a pet, “Alright, Hanzo. Come back sometime, okay? Just don’t let Mamá catch you.”

Hanzo chuckled. _Very well._

Jesse giggled as the end of a forked tongue licked up his face, coating him in dragon slobber. Hanzo took a few steps back before leaping up into the air and taking off. Jesse watched with wonder as the dragon soared above, disappearing into the night sky. The nearby storm left just as quickly as Hanzo did, leaving the desert quiet once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/luciolelights) and [tumblr](http://luciolelights.tumblr.com/)
> 
> My lovely friend did some art for this! [LINK](https://twitter.com/brownfrogs/status/1070947385000505344)


End file.
